In the very center stood a massive hill that looked like a giant slab of stone. It was called Danqiu, the place where the Danxia Sect held its grand ceremonies. People said it had formed naturally. Liu Xiaolou tilted his head back to look at it, but no matter how he tried, he couldn’t believe it. How could such a perfectly flat, colossal stone platform be the work of nature alone? It had to be the handiwork of the sect’s founding masters.

The main ceremony would be held tomorrow. For now, it was not yet time to ascend the hill. Glancing at the sky, he saw the sun sinking in the west, gilding the evening clouds so that they blazed even brighter, as though edged with strips of gold.

A flood of questions filled Liu Xiaolou’s mind. What exactly was the relationship between this hidden world and the ordinary world outside? Was the sun here the same sun as the one beyond?

Lost in thought, he followed the Su family northwesterly until, about three li from Danqiu, a stretch of lush grassland came into view. Scattered across it stood more than a dozen thatched cottages, neatly arranged.

Su Zhi turned and gave a simple order: “Rest.”

Everyone except Liu Xiaolou was familiar with the place. Each already knew which house belonged to them. Su Zhi and Su Xun went into the two largest cottages in the center. The eldest son Su Long, the Third Young Master Su Fan, the Fifth Lady Su Xi, the Eighth Young Master Su Mo, the Ninth Lady Su Wan, and the rest all went to their own dwellings as well, leaving Liu Xiaolou standing there by himself.

Once everyone else had settled into their cottages, Liu Xiaolou finally picked an empty one off to the side. He had just reached the doorway when Su Long, the eldest son, suddenly stepped out of his own house and called to him.

“That one belongs to Second Sister. She may be married far away, but we’ve always kept it for her.”

Liu Xiaolou had no choice but to back away and look again. He was about to head farther out to try another cottage when Su Zhi came out of his own and pointed to the one next door.

“You’ll stay here.”

Liu Xiaolou froze. “Ah…?”

“Hurry!” Su Zhi urged.

Liu Xiaolou quickly shifted over, gingerly pushed the door open, and called softly, “Fifth Lady…”

The cottage wasn’t large, about twenty feet long and fifteen wide. On the left stood a carved wooden bed, and on the right was a small pool, no more than a foot across. Its edge was lined with jagged, crimson rock, clearly natural rather than carved by hand. The water inside glimmered faintly, steeped with spiritual energy even denser than what drifted through the outside world.

So this was the legendary spirit spring? Amazing. No wonder the cottages weren’t placed at random. Each one had been built around a spring. Cultivating here might not match the use of spirit stones, but at least it made cultivation possible without them.

At that moment, Fifth Lady was already seated cross-legged on a cushion beside the spring, her expression calm as she said softly, “Come in.”

Liu Xiaolou clasped his hands in apology. “Forgive me, forgive me…”

She shook her head. “We are husband and wife, after all. At the very least, we should act like it.”

Liu Xiaolou forced a smile. “Yes, yes, of course. I only worried about intruding… my lady.”

“You just mind yourself,” Fifth Lady replied. “I need to cultivate.”

Liu Xiaolou nodded. “As you wish, my lady. Don’t mind me.”

The cottage held little besides the bed and the spirit spring. For a while Liu Xiaolou wasn’t sure what to do with himself. He sat slantwise at the edge of the bed for a moment, then quickly got up, pacing lightly in circles before finally settling down across from the Fifth Lady. The two of them faced each other with the spring between them, both entering cultivation.

The spring’s spiritual energy transformed into true qi, flowing into his meridians and gathering strength before surging toward the fifth acupoint of the Hand Lesser Yang Meridian—the Waiguan.

The energy wasn’t as dense as what came from spirit stones, but its softness and ease far surpassed them, making cultivation smoother. And when he thought about how all of this spiritual energy was free, an indescribable sense of satisfaction welled up inside him.

Just as he was sinking into it, footsteps suddenly sounded outside. A moment later, someone knocked on the door.

“Is Fifth Lady here?”

Fifth Lady glanced at Liu Xiaolou, who had also been startled awake, and said, “Yinggu? Please, come in.”

With a casual wave of her hand, the door swung lightly open. A woman stepped inside, cloaked in moonlight, while outside the sky glittered with stars.

Both Su Xi and Liu Xiaolou rose to greet her. Su Xi said, “It’s been so long, Yinggu. How have you been? This is my husband, Liu Xiaolou. Husband, this is Yinggu from the Mao family. Our families have been close for generations, and she and I were inseparable as children.”

Yinggu rushed forward and grasped Su Xi’s hands. “Five Sister, why did you marry in such haste? I only learned of it last month… My fifth brother has been heartsick for months. He never stopped caring for you. You know, with both of you being the fifth child in your families, it truly seemed like fate. How did things come to this?”

She turned to size up Liu Xiaolou, then exclaimed with approval, “I’d long wondered what sort of man could make you so impatient, as if you feared he’d vanish unless you married him right away. And now that I see… he really is a fine-looking youth, handsome and distinguished. What luck, to have him at home where you can admire him whenever you please! Oh dear, I came in such a rush, I didn’t even prepare a wedding gift. How careless of me…”

Liu Xiaolou smiled and bowed. “Senior, you flatter me too highly.”

Yinggu blinked, then laughed. “Senior? No need for such formality. I’m only a few years older than Su Xi.”

Su Xi smiled. “Four years, to be exact.”

Liu Xiaolou scratched his head. “My mistake. Forgive my poor judgment.”

Yinggu gave a dry chuckle. “Our family just arrived and hasn’t even settled in yet. I hurried over just to see you first. Nothing more. I’ll head back now and try to comfort my fifth brother.”

After Yinggu took her leave, Fifth Lady sat down again by the spring, then suddenly laughed. “Senior…”

Liu Xiaolou sat back down across from her. “On Wulong Mountain, we don’t have kin or family ties. Seniority is ranked by cultivation alone. Her level is surely far above mine, so calling her senior isn’t wrong, is it?”

They returned to cultivation. He didn’t know if an hour passed, or perhaps two hour, when Su Wuniang suddenly leaned back, springing onto the bed. At the same time, she swept her palm behind her, and with a technique like “Dragon-Seizing, Crane-Controlling,” Liu Xiaolou was yanked through the air and dropped onto the bed as well.

He had barely landed, still dazed, when the door pushed open. This time without even a sound of footsteps.

A middle-aged woman stood in the doorway, hands clasped behind her back, staring straight at Su Xi and Liu Xiaolou on the bed. Her face was dark with displeasure.

Su Xi quickly slipped off the bed, straightening her rumpled clothes and hair. She bowed respectfully to the woman. “Godmother.”

The woman fixed her gaze on Liu Xiaolou, who was still sitting dazed on the bed. Her stare made his scalp prickle. He tried to get up, but his whole body felt limp and powerless, as if even moving a finger took great effort. A chill ran through him. Is this the pressure of a high-level cultivator, deliberately released? Could she be in late Foundation Establishment… or already in Golden Core?

“Godmother, this is my husband, Liu Xiaolou,” Su Xi said again.

Just then, Su Zhi and Su Xun hurried over at the sound. Su Zhi forced a smile. “Lady Yao, you’re here…”

The woman shot him a sharp glare, then turned and strode off. Su Zhi let out a sigh, motioned for Su Xi to close the door, and followed with Su Xun in tow.

Only then did Liu Xiaolou feel as if a mountain had lifted off his body. Wiping cold sweat from his brow, he managed to rise. “My lady… who was that expert? A Golden Core cultivator?”

Fifth Lady stayed quiet for a moment before answering slowly. “She’s my godmother, from the Cai family. She’s always treated me with great kindness, though she’s set on marrying me into the Wang family… Unlike the others, her feelings are genuine. She truly cares for me. That’s why, to avoid complications, I never told her about my marriage.”